Blue Bolt: The New 52
by Xcellll
Summary: The story of Blue Bolt, Green Arrow's sidekick, and Wonder Girl as they flee from N.O.W.H.E.R.E.
1. Chapter 1

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE DC UNIVERSE.

* * *

**Grell Museum, Star City**

**November 5, 2011, 10:38 PDT**

* * *

I nocked another arrow and peeked out from behind the corner. Three men, two with guns, one with a golden cane that had a clock on the top. It took all my energy not to groan. I really hated the Clock King. He was alway trying to stick me in air tight clocks.

Green Arrow singled for me. He pointed to me then made an overhead swooping motion. I nodded and replaced my arrow for a shock arrow. Green Arrow Rolled out from behind his corner and fired two arrows at the Tick Tock Thugs. Yes, it was a ridiculous name. Meanwhile, I jumped, bent my knees as I hit the opposite wall, and pushed. I went flying across the room, and in mid air I fired my air. It hit Clock KIng square in the chest, zapping him out of conciousness. I landed next to green arrow and sighed.

"This went well. You know, since I didn't get trapped inside another clock."

"Indeed. Now, we should get home. Your mother will kill the both of us if you don't study for that test."

I sighed again.

"Yeah."

I shot a grapple arrow up to the rim of the open skylight. I climbed it quickly and waited for Green Arrow. He was up a few seconds later, out of breath. I helped him up.

"You're getting old."

"I'm forty four!"

"Yeah, and I'm seventeen. You're old by my standards."

"You kids nowadays..."

"Only old people say that."

We leapt over to the roof of the adjoining resteraunt and grappled up to the next building.

"So... how are things at school?"

"Fine."

"Is there a girl?"

I stumbled and caught myself on an air conditioning unit.

"What?"

Green Arrow grinned at my discomfort.

"Come on! When I was your age, I couldn't keep my eyes of girls. So, anyone special?"

I sighed and shook my head.

"No Not yet."

"Not _yet_?"

I cursed myself for my choice of words. Luckily, we had arrived at the penthouse. I slid the window open and jumped in. Mom was waiting for us. She was wearing her usual Black Canary costume. The TV was on behind her. It was playing a report about another metahuman teen who had been kidnapped. In Star City. I knew where this was going.

"We need to talk."

* * *

**Wayne Towers East, Malibu**

**December 6, 11:34 A.M. PDT**

* * *

N.O.W.H.E.R.E. That was their name. The people that were hunting me, hunting all meta-teens. For some reason they weren't going after the adults. Only anyone in highschool or younger. There were even reports of babies being taken from hospitals. I was watching dozens of various reports on various screens projected into the air. It had been a month since I had left Star City. The official story was that Jackson Queen was in an obscure European boarding school. No one had really noticed the disappearance of Blue Bolt.

I heard a step behind me. It was mostly muffled by the carpet; I'm probably one of the two people on the planet that could hear it, Bat family and Superman not withstanding. I pulled my crossbow out and spun around. I had already fired the bolt before I realized who it was. Red Robin snatched it out of the air.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

I let out the breath I had been holding and lowered the dark blue crossbow.

"Sorry. Can't be too careful any more. Why are you here, Tim?"

"Don't use my name! This place could be bugged!"

"Oh, please! I sweep the room daily, and I know you wouldn't have come in without doing at least three."

Tim smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, still..."

"Back to the original question: why are you here?"

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is on your tail."

"I know. There spies have been watching me for a few days now. How about you?"

Tim sat down on the couch. He had to be careful not to injure his ridiculous wings. Tim, Daniel and I had been friends for years. All rich superheroes knew each other.

"I managed to lose their trail back in Denver. I heard about you going to 'boarding school' and thought I should check on you."

"Thanks. How about Danny?"

"Batman sent him to Russia under the guise of a training assignment. He should be okay for awhile."

"Does him know about N.O.W.H.E.R.E.?"

"Only a little bit. We thought the less he knew for now, the better."

I grabbed a water from the mini bar and tossed another to Tim.

"You should probably get out of here. You don't want them back on you."

"I lost them one, I can do it again."

I grinned.

"Is Tim Drake being cocky?"

Tim smiled.

"Maybe a little."

There was a beep on one of the screens. One of N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s vans had just pulled itno the parking lot. I shut all of the screens down and turned to Tim. But he was already gone. I wasn't mad: I was just about to tell him to go. I brought up the security camera for my floor and the next three floors down. I was on the top floor, but I had booked the top four floors for my escape plan. All of the floors were empty. I ran over to my bedside table and unlocked the bottom drawer. It was filled to the brim with C4. I grabbed the switch from the top and turned it on.

The trigger as like a dead man's switch. Instead of it going off when it stopped sensing a pulse, I had designed it so that once I was a certain distance away, the signal was to weak for it to pick up. I estimated it would give out when I was about halfway across the gap between this building and the one next to it.

I strapped the trigger to my belt. My bow and quiver were lying on my bed. Once I had strapped them on, it was time for the decoy. I ran over to my closet and pulled out the body bag in there. Inside was an exact replica of my costume stuffed with meat and bones. It felt weird having my dark blue armless tunic, black pants, black long sleeved under shirt, and dark blue domino mask on a pile of meat. I tossed the smelly dummy onto the bed and checked the monitors. They were in the elevator. Time to go.

I removed a razor blade from my crew cut blonde hair and slit one of the floor to ceiling windows out of place. I grabbed a grapple arrow and aimed at the radio tower of the next building over. My target was a hundred yards away and two feet in diameter. Too easy. I fired and attached my end of the cable to the ceiling. I heard the elevator that led into my room ding. The last thing those men saw before the explosion was me sliding down a cable out the window.

The explosion cut the cable so I didn't crash into the tower. Instead, I tucked into a roll and landed safely. The top to floors of Wayne Towers East was in flames. I heard sirens already. Time to go.

* * *

**Pacific Coast Highway, Ten Miles Out of Malibu**

**December 6, 2:56 P.M. PDT**

* * *

For about three hours now I had been hiking through the forest next to the Pacific Coast Highway. The entire highway had been cordoned off, but I managed to sneak around the roadblock. The only living thing I had encountered along the way was a cluster of blueberries. Yes, I made absolutely sure that they were blueberries, and they were delicious. Then I heard a car. I retreated back into the treeline and watched the events unfold.

In the distance, I saw a red sports car appear. Then I heard sirens. A police car rounded the curve. The sports car pulled over near me, with the police car right behind her. The girl driving the red car looked about my age, with wavy blonde hair and black sunglasses. The police officer got out of the car. The girl took off her glasses and looked up at him, revealing her bright blue eyes.

"Is there a problem, officer?"

"License and registration."

The girl held out her hands.

"I'm sorry officer. It's my mother's car."

The car was a bright red Ferrari, so I seriously doubted that she had any relation to the car besides being the girl who stole it. But the tears streaming down her face were a nice touch.

"I knew if I was driving it I would get in trouble."

The officers hand shot out and he grabbed her by the throat. She choked as he lifted her up.

"Trust me. You troubles have just begun."

I couldn't watch this anymore.

"That's a matter of perspective."

I nocked a knockout arrow and thick tip hit him in the back of the neck and brought him to the ground. As he fell, I saw a blue skull tattoo on his upper arm. It was one of the signifying marks of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agents. She was a target.

"'Officer'."

The girl shrunk down into the car when I stepped out. I saw her ornate golden bracers and realized who she was. She was an international criminal named Cassandra Sandsmark, a.k.a. Wonder Girl. She stole from archeological digs. Her biggest theft so far was a set of ancient golden bracers. They were said to have magical properties.

"Cassie Sandsmark?"

The girl nodded.

"Cassie, my name is Blue Bolt and I need you to come with me. There's an international organization that's kidnapping young metahumans, and I think you might be next."

Cassie rose a little.

"Your name is Blue Bolt?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

I walked over to the car. I saw that besides the bracers, Cassie was wearing a white halter top, grey stockings and a dress with leg slits up to the waist.

"That's great, but here's the deal. I'm not a metahu..."

I grabbed her arm.

"we don't have time for this. I bet N.O.W.H.E.R.E. can track customs records just as well as I can."

I pulled out my communicator and pulled up her customs file.

"Interpol has accused you of breaking into geological excavations. Well, they've accused the woman that the press is calling Wonder Girl."

Cassie looked shocked.

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E.?"

Cassie jerked her arm away.

"This is crazy! Let go of me!"

"Oh, come on! I read all about your superstength and ability to fly... and the lasso."

Cassie took another step back.

"You don't trust people. I get that. You think you can do it yourself. But you can't. No one can. There are cops. And the C.I.A."

I pointed down the highway.

"Do you know the power that these people must have to cut off all traffic to the Pacific Coast Highway?"

Cassie shook her head.

"No... I don't."

I offered her my hand again.

"Take my hand."

As she was about to take it, a thumping sound filled the air. It sounded like a helicopter. I looked up as waves of air hit the ground.

"Now what?"

"Here comes trouble."


	2. Chapter 2

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE DC UNIVERSE.

* * *

**Pacific Coast Highway, Ten Miles Out of Malibu**

**December 6, 3:14 P.M. PDT**

* * *

The helicopter was one of the next gen LuthorCorp Battle had two wing mounted gatling guns, missile launchers, and a heat beam on the front. I stepped towards it and motioned for Cassie to get behind me.

"Cassie, if you have any powers, now would be the time to use them!"

"What?! Against that!?"

"Just try!"

The helicopter opened fire on us. I grabbed Cassie and pulled us behind the car.

"it's now or never, Wonder Girl!"

Cassie growled. Her bracers started to glow with a red light.

"Don't..."

The bubble of light expanded around her.

"... Call..."

Her clothes started to change.

"... Me..."

Her clothes were replaced by a dark red sleeve-less unitard, golden leg bracers. a cold choker with an attached shoulder guard on her right shoulder, a golden arm band on her upper left arm, and a red hood that attached to the choker. A red glove emerged from her right bracer, and a red string of energy was wrapped around her waist. The unitard and hood sparkled with what looked like stars, mixing with her golden hair. She grabbed the string from around her waist and it turned into a lasso.

"... Wonder Girl!"

Even with the rage in her eyes, she was the most stunning thing I had ever seen. And not just because the unitard pronounced her already large... assets.

"Wow. Just... wow."

She must have noticed that I was staring.

"Satisfied?"

"Uh..."

She shook her head, loosing her golden hair from the hood.

"Idiot."

"Hey!"

But we had bigger problems then her hotness and her thinking I'm an idiot. The helicopter was turning to shoot at us again.

"No need to resort to name calling! I'm not the one who attacked you!"

"You get a point, then!"

"Ha, ha. Now quick, before..."

But she was already gone.

"... Wonder Girl?"

She was currently busy smashing in the helicopter's cockpit.

I'm serious, Blue..."

She ripped out a large section of circuitry.

"... Don't call me Wonder Girl!"

"Okay."

My turn. As Cassie was bashing things in, I nocked two explosive arrows. I sent them flying at the main and tail rotor. They both exploded, sending the craft tumbling down to the water. Cassie refused to stop beating on it as it went down. I ran over to the edge and looked over the side. There she was, treading water and glaring at me. I slid down the rocky incline and carefully walked out to her.

"Again... wow."

I offered her my hand. She swam over to me but didn't take it.

"Move the hand or lose it."

I retracted my hand. Cassie climbed out of the water and sat on the shore, resting her arms on on knee. She wasn't facing me, but I could guess what she looked like. I squatted down behind her.

"How are you doing?"

"How do you think? They know who I am. That means my life is never going to be the same."

I sighed. I can't tell you how many sidekicks and heroes go through this phase of self pity and fear. Actually, I can. It's all of them.

"No. It won't. But maybe it can be something more. Something better."

"You were homeschooled, weren't you?"

"No. And what would that have anything to do with this situation?"

She just shook her head.

"Listen. If there after you too... you can stay at my place for the night. One night, and then you're gone."

I nodded.

"Thanks. Come on, you need to dry off."

Just then, my phone rang.

"One minute."

I answered it.

_"Jackson?! Oh thank God! We saw the report about your building, and..."_

"I'm fine. They've found me. Leaving Malibu. Won't be back for awhile."

_"Jackson, wait!"_

"Sorry, can't."

I hung up and smashed the phone against a rock. Knowing that might not have done it, I threw it into the water. It skipped like a stone for a few yards before sinking. Cassie saw the whole thing.

"What was that about?"

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E. found me in a private hotel room under a fake name with funds transferred from a secret account. They might be tracing my phone. And yours."

I took her phone and smashed it too.

"Now come on. We need to get out of here before the dangerous things show up."

* * *

**Corner Shop Cafe, Malibu**

**December 6, 5:27 P.M. PDT**

* * *

We made great time. Mostly because we took the car most of the way and ditched it when I first saw signs of the roadblock. Tomorrow, authorities would find a bullet ridden Ferrari on the side of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Cassie and I were currently sitting in a cafe, sipping coffee. One of the finer sides of being on the run. Cassie's uniform had simply changed back into her old clothing, but I had to borrow some clothes from an open market. It's okay if you leave money for them right? Anyway, I was now wearing a blue hoodie, khaki's, and running shoes. My bow, quiver, an utility belt were in a duffel bag slung across my back. When I had come back from changing, Cassie was wearing new clothes too. She was wearing a black halter top with fish netting on the bottom, black pants, a silver belt, fingerless gloves, and black heels. Luckily, it was Malibu, so no one gave me a second glance. I was currently trying to figure out how Cassie's bracers stayed invisible when not in use.

"Yo. Up here."

Cassie was pointing up to her face. I realized it must have looked like I was staring at...

"And before you ask- yes, they're real."

"I wasn't looking at, um... those, Cassie. I was wondering how your bracelets stayed invisible."

She flexed one of her bracelet free hands.

"Right. No idea. When I pinched them from that temple, I left behind the stone tablet of instructions."

I shook my head and paid for the coffee.

"If it were anyone else, I'd think you were just being sarcastic. But I've seen you in action. You're very powerful but you lack discipline."

Cassie stood up.

"Good luck with that particular fantasy. Whoa, quite a tip you're leaving!"

I shrugged it off.

"It helps to have people not asking questions."

"If you were trying to impress me by pulling a wad of money- it's not working."

I shrugged again.

"I can afford being generous. It's not my money."

I looked around.

"This is all so weird."

"It's West Hollywood. This is my land. If you think this is weird, you should see it on Halloween."

"No, I mean N.O.W.H.E.R.E. From what I've been able to learn about them, they're attempting to replace the United Nations, NATO, and other global organizations. Their resources are all but unlimited. Laws and borders- even basic human rights- mean nothing to them. They've been kidnapping meta-teens from all over the world. They either want to kill or corrupt them. But what gets me is that they missed their first attempt to kill me. So why haven't they come back for me?"

Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Don't be too disappointed. It's only been a few hours."

"It's not that, Cassie. I'm just so used to knowing what's going on."

Cassie looked at me before grabbing my arm.

"Come on. You look tired."

* * *

**Sandsmark House, Malibu**

**December 6, 7:13 P.M. PDT**

* * *

It was dark by the time we reached Cassie's house. It was at the edge of the city. It was a small two story building, painted light blue with pink trim. It was decorated with flowery birdhouses an sparkly wind chimes.

"Here we are. Casa de Sandsmark. You get one free night on the couch. In the morning, you're gone."

"Nice house."

"'Cheap', you mean."

"No wonder it's so... feminine."

"You know what's not feminine? A bench at a train station."

"Fair enough."

We walked inside. The lights were off.

"So, where are your parents?"

"My mom's at a dig in Egypt."

I noticed that she purposely didn't mention her father. I didn't want to end up at the train station, so I didn't push it. Cassie turned the light on. The living room was a mix of ancient artifacts and unicorn paintings. The couch was light pink with flowers, and had an animal skull hanging over it. Ancient maps and trinkets hung from the lavender wallpaper.

"Wow."

"Want to say anything else?"

She was just daring me.

"Nope, not a damn thing. Just wow."

"Wait here. I'll go get you a blanket and pillow."

I sat down on the couch and waited for her to return. Cassie walked back in, holding a pile of blankets and a pillow.

"A lot of this stuff looks authentic."

"Yeah, well, my mom's an archeologist, I still from dig sites. We've built up a collection."

Cassie walked over and handed the linens to me.

"Look, you know- you'd get a lot farther with me if you'd tell me your real name. I feel like a bit of an idiot calling you Blue Bolt."

I took the linens from her.

"I can appreciate that. But there are other people I work with... You knowing my name could compromise those relationships.

Cassie sighed.

"So."

"So." Cassie turned and walked towards a door. SHe stopped with her hand on the frame and turned back to me.

"I didn't say it earlier, but... thank you. For what you did today. Whoever you are... you're a good guy."

I smiled.

"Hey Cassie."

She stuck her head out.

"You can call me Jack."

Cassie smiled.

"Thanks... Jack."

She closed the door. Well, I'm a good guy, at least. Better than annoying brother I guess. I set up my bed on the couch and pulled my bow out. I grabbed a smoke arrow. arrow and nocked it, aiming at the front door. I fell asleep holding it in that position.

* * *

**Sandsmark House, Malibu**

**December 7, 5:43 A.M. PDT**

* * *

No one came for Cassie that night. No one came for either of us. But I woke up around two in the morning and found it impossible to get any sleep. I'd assume that we're off their radar, but at this point assuming anything could get us captured, or worse. I tried to get into touch with Daniel. He was always calm in even some of the worst situations. But he wasn't responsive. We would know if N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had taken him. The Wayne family and the Bat family would have declared all out war.

After four hours of getting nowhere with N.O.W.H.E.R.E., I decided to look up any meta-teens in the area. At least I could try to get the word out. the moment I typed in 'Metahuman Los Angeles', at least a thousand different hits for one video came up. I opened it and plugged my earbuds in.

The video was part of some news report. It was of a dark skinned woman, probably around her mid twenties. She was saying that she saw some sort of bug creature on the Hollywood sign.

"That's when I saw her. I screamed- all of us did!"

The woman was shaking with terror. She was lying, too. But still, the fake terror in her eyes... I needed to figure out what this was about.

"Hmpf."

"What are you hmpf-ing about?"

I looked up. Cassie was leaning against the doorway to her room. She was wearing a Winnie the Pooh tank top and gray boyshorts. Her hair was a mess, and she looked half asleep.

"You realize it's still the middle of the night, right?"

I glanced out the window. The sky was pink with the sunrise.

"It's six A.M."

"Exactly my point. Do you want some coffee?"

"Sure."

As Cassie made the coffee, I checked out where tha woman worked. It was a clothing store down by the beach. They opened in an hour. Cassie came over and handed me a mug of coffee.

"Thanks.

"No problem. So when can I expect you off my couch?"

I rolled my eyes.

"As soon as I'm done with my coffee. Here."

I handed her an peice of paper with an address on it.

"If you ever change your mind, there's a team forming."

"A team of what?"

"Meta-teens. They're located at that address."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to think about it."

Cassie walked away, and subtly tossed the number in the trash. I sighed. Maybe someday she'll come around. But I had bigger fish to fry. Or, bugs, as it were.


	3. Chapter 3

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE DC UNIVERSE.

* * *

**Wear It Well, Malibu**

**December 7, 12:32 A.M. PDT**

* * *

You know, there once were times when I might have moped about not having a normal childhood. Whenever I felt like that, I would go to a mall, and suddenly feel grateful that I spent my free time wearing a mask. I picked up a pair of purple jeans, not believing that someone would wear them. The woman from the video walked over to me.

"Welcome to 'Wear It Well'! My name is Claudia- can I help you find something?"

I set the awful purple pants down.

"I hope so. I'm looking for the truth. Do you have anything in my size?"

"I don't understand."

"I caught your performance about the creature they're calling 'Skitter'. I know you were lying. I have a theory, but I'd like to know what you're hiding."

Claudia gulped, but kept smiling.

"I... have a break in five minutes. Can you meet me behind the fountain?"

"Okay."

I walked out of the store, but something caught my eye. I saw a flash of blonde hair as an ass in tight jeans disappeared behind the corner. It was just a coincidence. I walked over to the fountain and sat down on the bench. Claudia was out a few minutes later. She sat down next to me.

"How did you know?"

"Because you were the only one of five witnesses to describe the creature 'Skitter' as 'she'. I stopped by your school and asked some questions. You have a twin sister who was suddenly 'transferred to London as an exchange student' two weeks ago. After that, people began to see the creature..."

Claudia looked down at the ground.

"She... she hasn't hurt anyone. She's just scared, confused."

I placed my hand on hers.

"I can only imagine."

"Celine had been acting a little weird the last few weeks. I ignored it. Celine was always a little weird. I came home from school one day and she was in... a cocoon. I was going to call S.T.A.R. Labs in the morning, but when I woke up, she was gone. Then there started to be reports about that creature. I started blogging about her anonymously, calling her 'Skitter'. I though it sounded nice. She's defenseless. Who could fear a creature called Skitter?"

Claudia turned away and started to cry. I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"I can help you Claudia. You and Celine. But it's important that you don't tell anyone what you've told me."

Claudia looked up at me.

"B-But... I already did. I told the government. That's good, isn't it?"

I bit my lower lip.

"I'm sure she's fine."

Crap.

* * *

**Sewers Under the LeBrea Tarpits**

**December 7, 2:44 P.M. PDT**

* * *

Time to make my appearance.

"If this really is your job, then you have a great case against your school's guidance counselor."

"What the-?"

The man turned to me. SInce he was from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., I replaced my shock arrow for a normal pointy one.

_"What happened?"_

That voice sounded like an echoy whisper. Where the hell had it come from?

"Haha! I/we did it! You're that guy, Blue Bolt, that we've been tracking! You shouldn't have crept up on me/us. If you had ambushed me/us, you could have survived."

"I'll take my chances. Really, the only reason I said anything is because I was curious about your psychosis. Being a N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agent, I'd thought you'd be a little... saner. This is your only warning: leave now, and you won't get hurt."

The crazy dude snickered.

"Now you're just being a vandal. I/we like vandals."

"At least I'm not crazy like you/he/you!"

I fired the arrow. It sliced across his chest, spurting blood across the dingy tiles.

"Argh!"

In response, I jumped down and kicked him in the wound.

"Clearly we're here for the same reason. So here's my offer: lt me take the bug and you can leave with all your teeth."

The man fell down. His mask had fallen off, revealing a face covered in scars, tattoos, and blood. He grinned and chuckled.

"Brother, are you there?"

_"Always."_

It was the echo voice again.

"I/we may have underestimated this brat. I/we could use some help."

I rolled my eyes and readied another arrow.

"Tell him to hurry."

The man's chest started to glow purple. Then, an orange masked man burst out of the light. He shot at me and exited his brother's chest.

"Fast enough, idiot?!"

"Haha! Hello, brother!"

Okay, two brothers using each other's bodies for transportation. Didn't see that one coming.

"I'll be honest. I'm upset."

I jumped as the man shot at me again. The blue brother shrugged.

"Hey, you can't choose your family."

I grabbed the unmasked one by the back of the head.

"You guys aren't much older than me or Skitter. And here you are, using your powers to capture metahumans. For money.

"No-"

The other brother jumped out of the one I had grabbed. He punched me in the face. The man had a mean right hook.

"-For lots of money!"

I ducked down to avoid losing my face to a shotgun.

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is the future. When the war started-"

"-I/we chose the winning side!"

I punched the blue brother in the face.

"You call this the winning side?! You're taking innocent people from their homes!"

The other brother leapt out of Blue and grabbed me.

"Enough, boy!"

"I/ we don't do overtime. You're going down!"

The other brother punched me in the face. Blood spurted out.

"Someday... maybe."

I smashed the man that was holding me. He let go of me and the other brother backed up.

"But not here, idiots!"

I kicked them both.

"You believe that power is something you're born with? That it's a side you choose?"

I hate to give speeches, but sometimes-

_"Brothers? Are you/we there?"_

A third?!

"What's up, brother?"

_"Time to pack it. I've found it."_

Both men fell to their knees, clutching their head. A purple light blossomed from their chest's.

"We're lucky! We-iieee!"

"Uh, are you guys okay?"

"What the-?"

The two brothers popped out of existence, leaving only blood to prove they were there. They seemed confused.

"Aauuuugggghhh!"

The scream came from down the tunnel. I grabbed my bow and ran.

Another N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agent was around the corner. He was being held off the ground by a thin, bug-like arm.

"No! Please, help!"

Skitter tossed him to the side. She hadn't seen me yet. Celine made a clicking sound. I saw dozens of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agents had been stuck to the tunnel with gobs of web. They were all alive, and relatively unharmed. Celine didn't want to hurt anyone, so far as I could tell. Then she turned to look at me. There was a person in there. I just had to find her.

"Celine? Your sister asked me to help."

Celine roared. Her mouth filled up with web and spat it at me. I jumped up as the ball hit where my feet had been.

"Okay, this is just plain gross!"

The ground smoked and melted where it hit. Okay, webs, and corrosive spit. Would have to watch out for both of those.

"Celine, I don't want to have to hurt you!"

I dodged to the side as her tail sliced through the concrete, leaving a clean cut. So that was a bluff. That tail could cut through Kevlar like a hot knife through butter! Celine leapt at me.

_"Killl!"_

I had just joined the Teen Titans reserve squad a few weeks before going on the run. It was an odd though, but I probably was going to have the shortest tenure in the Titan's history.

I grabbed an arrow and slammed the tip into Celine's chest. She rocketed back and slammed against the wall. She got up and shot another ball of acid. I spun to dodge it, but in the process it hit my quiver. All of my arrows melted. I. Was. Screwed. Celine got up and jumped.

"Get back, bug!"

"Wonder Girl?!"

Cassie came flying over head and slammed Celine into the wall. Her energy lasso was wrapped around her red clad body. If I wasn't careful, I was going to fall in love with that girl. Or I would die by her hands. I liked the first on more. I walked over to Cassie.

"You followed me?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Please. Like you didn't recognize my ass in the clothing store? Right."

"Thanks for the help."

Cassie started to coil the lasso around her arm.

"Don't get used to it. I was only paying you back for helping me with the 'copter. Now we're even. Bye."

Wait, what?

"Cassie- you can't be serious! How can you just walk away from this?"

I pointed at Celine's crumpled body.

"Do you have any idea what these people are going to do to her if they get ahold of her?"

Cassie shrugged and lifted her hood.

"Do you have any idea how little I care?"

I grabbed her shoulder to stop her from walking away.

"You had better start caring! If we don't make a stand here, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. will just get bolder."

I hefted Celine's arm around my shoulder and helped her to her feet. This would be easier if she was awake. Of course, when she was awake she was trying to kill me.

"Each time they grab one of us, our numbers are going to get weaker, and they're going to get stronger!"

Cassie just turned away.

"If you hadn't noticed, I'm strong enough. This isn't my problem."

She started to walk away.

"And lose my number."

"Oh, for God's sake! Have some basic human empathy!"

"That's your thing, Jack."

And like that she was gone. I sighed and pulled out my communicator. Tim picked up within three seconds.

_"What do you want?"_

"I need to know where you are."

_"West Hollywood."_

"Perfect. Doing anything?"

_"Just on the run. Why?"_

"I need you to watch someone."


	4. Chapter 4

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE DC UNIVERSE.

* * *

**El Pollo Loco, Los Angeles**

**December 7, 6:33 P.M. PDT**

* * *

_"Nurse?! There you are! Finally! Hey, turn around, I'm talking to you!"_

Cassie stared at the chart.

_"Yes, sir. Maurice Boviere. Or should I call you 'Thrice'?"_

Cassie locked the door and turned around. It pissed me off to no end that all I could focus on was the tight fir of her stolen nurse's outfit.

_"According to your chart, you're doing better than your brothers. One was taken to Seattle, the other to San Diego. Which I guess is to far for your little trick."_

The man tried to back up in his bed.

_"Y-You're not a nurse!"_

Cassie got a devilish grin on her face.

_"Not really, no. But you'll need a few- unless you tell me what I want to know about who hired you."_

I shut down the miniature laptop and shoved it into my bag.

"You said this wasn't your fight, Cassie Sandsmark. So why are you enjoying it so much?"

I was currently sitting in the cab of a pickup truck I had bought from a crazy farmer by the side of the road. My bow and quiver were stashed under the seat. I had gotten a new quiver from Tim when I'd dropped Skitter off with him. He wasn't thrilled about it, but he had accepted. He had said that there was a metahuman down in Mexico he was keeping tabs on. He was taking Skitter south of the border. That might throw N.O.W.H.E.R.E. off the scent for a little bit.

I had pulled into an El Pollo Loco to grab a quick lunch. And then found myself putting a trace out on Cassie. A result had come up for Monte Maria General Hospital. She had snuck in in a stolen nurse's uniform and snuck into one of the Thrice brother's room.

I took another bite of my taco and sighed angrily. She had said that she didn't care. So why was I so concerned about her? And the way I looked at her body...

At least a dozen alarms went of. Tim had given me a hack into the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. tracking mainframe. And at least twenty men were closing in on Cassie. But I could get to her first.

I took every back alley, broken road, and parking lot to get there. The N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agents were at least ten minutes away. I parked and jumped out. Thank God Cassie walked out of the hospital right then. I ran over to her and grabbed her arm.

"We need to go. Now."

Cassie pulled her arm away.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Cassie, I don't have time to argue. There are at least two dozen N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agents heading this way. SO please, just come with me!"

Cassie was looking over my shoulder. My calculations were wrong. N.O.W.H.E.R.E. was here. I grabbed Cassie's arm again.

"Come on!"

I pulled her behind the truck. I quickly grabbed my bow and arrows and pulled my mask on. Cassie transformed. I peeked over the top of the hood. I was wrong. It wasn't twenty agents: it was twenty vans. There were about two hundred armed men. Two many for us to take. I ducked back down and gulped. Cassie looked terrified.

"How much trouble are we in?"

I was about to answer when I heard the helicopters. At least three. We were done for. But I felt something rising in my chest. It was like I was going to scream, but I didn't want to. The last time I had felt like this was in second grade.

"Cassie, get down and cover your ears!"

She must have heard what was happening to my voice, because she did as she was told without snide comment or objection. Now or never. I stood up and opened my mouth.

The Canary Cry was an interesting thing. It was basically a prolonged super sonic burst. It could destroy ear drums, pace makers, and in this case, helicopter rotors. The giant metal beasts fell out of the sky and crashed into the vans. Windows shattered, people fell to their knees and screamed in pain. You could see the sound rippling through the air.

It was done after a few seconds, but it had done enough damage to get us an hour of reprieve. Cassie was curled up in a ball, tears streaming down her face. My heart nearly broke at the sight of her pain. I pulled her up to her feet and helped her along. The Canary Cry could reverberate through ones muscles and cause intense, but not long lasting, pain.

I helped Cassie along as we fled the scene. Someone had left their car running outside of my blast radius. Cassie got in the passenger seat while I drove us away. The driver chased after us screaming, but he couldn't keep up with us. We were gone without pursuit.

* * *

**Super Beds Motel, Off of Route 40**

**December 7, 11:16 P.M. PDT**

* * *

I pulled off to the side of the road when I saw a motel. It was out of the way, and kind of had a 'No Vacancy' vibe, but I knew we could handle it. Cassie had fallen asleep about an hour ago. I nudged her shoulder. I managed to dodge back as she struck out.

"Cassie! It's okay!"

Cassie took a deep breath and straightened up.

"Where are we?"

"Arizona. Somewhere."

"Are you sure we want to stay here? It has kind of a 'No Vacancy' vibe."

I smiled.

"We'll be fine. Come on, let's get a room."

We got out of the car and got a room for the night. I managed to stop Cassie from leaping over the counter when the man asked if I wanted to pay by the hour. I sent Cassie up to the room while I ran across the highway to the gas station. I picked up various junk foods and headed back.

Cassie was curled up on the bed. I had specifically asked for a two bedroom, but I guess the guy was to busy undressing Cassie in his mind. She looked up when I walked in. I sat down next to her and handed her a bag of chips.

"Sorry, I asked for two beds."

"It's fine. Just don't hog the blankets. Did you bring food?"

"This was all they had."

Cassie shook her head and dug into the chips. We sat there and finished off the food. When we were done, we laid down on the bed.

"So... what happened to that girl from the sewers?"

I smirked.

"I thought you didn't care."

"Whatever."

I sighed.

"One of my friends took her. She's probably down in Mexico by now."

Cassie turned over and looked at me.

"Where do we go from here? There's no way we can go back to Malibu, and you said that these guys aren't stopped by anything. So... what now?"

I sighed again.

"I don't know. Maybe we could head north. Plenty of places to hide. It's not much of a plan, but it's all I've got for now."

"Okay. We go north. Any place you had in mind?"

"My family has a lake house on Lake Michigan. We could head up there."

Cassie nodded and rolled over.

"We should get some sleep."

I shut the light off. Cassie's body relaxed at once. She was exhausted. I lifted the blanket over us and stared up at the ceiling. Sleep didn't come until Cassie rolled over and rested her head on my chest.


	5. Chapter 5

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE DC UNIVERSE.

* * *

Yellowstone National Park

December 9, 12:54 P.M. MDT

* * *

We were driving through the forests of Yellowstone. Cassie had mentioned that she had wanted to see them, so I made a few tweaks to our route. Cassie was dreamily staring out the window. She finally looked up at me.

"Thank you. For this, I mean. I know you didn't have to do this."

I drummed my fingers on the wheel. I didn't like being out in the open like this. Agents could be waiting anywhere. But all my fears went away when I saw the sunlight shining against her hair. Cassie placed her hand on top of mine and rubbed it gently.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Would you have ever gone out with a girl like me?"

It took all my willpower to not swerve off the road.

"I-"

The road in front of us exploded. We were shoved off the road and hit a tree. I blacked out for a few seconds, but regained my grip on reality. I grabbed my bow and arrows and shoved my way out of the car. It looked like an air mine had been buried in the road. I nocked an arrow and looked at Cassie. She was out of the car, but limping. There was a gash on her forehead, but it wasn't bleeding badly. Her leg probably had it worst.

"What happened?"

"Mine placed on the road. Are you okay?"

"Leg hurts, but besides that I'm fine. Where are the men in black?"

"Don't want to wait for them. Come on."

We rushed back into the treeline. Cassie was hobbling, so I hefted her arm over my shoulder. Once we were about a half mile into the forest, I set Cassie down.

"We'll be okay for a bit. Here."

I leaned her down on a bed of moss.

"I need to reset the bone."

"Damn it."

I tore a piece of cloth off my jacket and grabbed two of the straightest branches I could find I gingerly lifted her leg. Cassie whimpered and grabbed my leg. This would hurt for the both of us. So I reset the bone.

* * *

Yellowstone National Park

December 9, 2:12 P.M. MDT

* * *

I stared down at Cassie. I was treating some of her minor injuries, and trying to ignore the painful throbbing in my leg. Cassie's head was in my lap, her gingerly stroking my non injured leg. I brushed her hair back and started to clean out the gash on her head.

"For the record, I would date someone like you."

Cassie looked up at me.

"What?"

"Answering your question from before. I would date a girl like you."

"Sort of an odd time to answer that question."

I nodded, then bent over and kissed her. We were both surprised by it, but when Cassie leaned into it and closed her eyes, I followed in suit. Cassie sat up and wrapped her legs around my waist. I stroked her hair and held her against me. We both pulled away, gasping.

"I can't tell you how long I've waited for that."

I grinned. Then I heard the sounds of flapping wings. Too many to just be just a few birds taking off. Cassie slid out of my lap and handed me my bow. I knocked a flash arrow and stepped out.

Someone was waiting for me. He was about five and a half feet tall, with pale skin. His black hair was slicked back, giving me perfect view of his blue eyes. He was wearing jeans, a red shirt, and a leather jacket.

"There you are."

The guy's eyes glowed red. I managed to jump out of the way as the ground I was standing on was blown to smithereens. I landed in a crouch and fired an arrow at him. He just grabbed it out of the air and examined it.

"Carbon steel shaft with a titanium tip. Dangerous, but useless."

He snapped it in two and tossed it to the side. Those arrows could withstand a thousand pounds of pressure, and he snapped it like a toothpick. This guy was bad news. I shot a smoke arrow at him and grabbed Cassie.

"Run!"

Cassie transformed and grabbed me. We flew into the air. I fired another arrow at the man. He just growled and flew after us. This guy was a veritable Superman. In fact he looked... just... like... Superman...

There was no stopping this guy. Time to go for broke. I grabbed a specific arrow from my quiver. I only had one of this type, so I had to aim carefully. It's tip was covered by a simple led case that popped off when you fired it. I waited for the guy to be right on us and fired.

The entire thing took no more than a few seconds. The arrow flew towards the guy and the case popped off, revealing the Kryptonite tip. The man's eyes went wide as he saw the pointed green crystal. It lodged in his shoulder and sent him plummeting.

"What now?"

"Run."

* * *

Somewhere in Montana

December 9, 5:23 P.M. MDT

* * *

We flew for about three hours before we landed. With our direction, I could guess we had crossed into Montana. Cassie dropped me on the ground before tumbling to the ground in a heap. Flying this long carrying me had done a number on her. We had crashed in a cornfield. I crawled over to Cassie and made sure she was okay. Half asleep, but okay.

"Cassie, time to get up. We need to go."

Cassie groaned and rolled over.

"Tired..."

"Come on Wonder Girl."

Cassie growled and sat up.

"Don't call me Wonder Girl."

I kissed her and helped her up.

"I think I saw a farmhouse a little ways away."

I helped Cassie out of the cornfield. There was a two story farmhouse with a barn a few yards away. I motioned for Cassie to stay there while I stalked towards the farmhouse.

The house was empty. I managed to sneak a peek at the owners calendar. They were out of state for three days. I signaled for Cassie to come. She hobbled over to me.

"The owners are gone for the next few days."

"Good."

In about ten seconds, Cassie had picked the window's lock. I didn't even see her do it. She climbed through the window and motioned for me to follow her.

"Why are you so good at breaking into houses?"

Cassie just rolled her eyes. We both crawled into the house. I did a quick sweep for pets and bugs, but we were alone. Cassie had opened the cupboards and pulled out some food. I noticed that she wasn't limping anymore.

"Is your leg okay?"

Cassie looked own at her leg.

"I guess."

Just then,she stumbled. I caught her before she hit the floor, but she was already asleep. She must have been exhausted. Her red outfit disappeared to show the dark green blouse and jeans underneath. I carried her over to the couch and draped a blanket over her. Cassie's eyes opened a crack.

"What..."

I kissed her quickly.

"I'm gonna be out in the barn. And you need to sleep."

Cassie shook her head, but fell asleep a few seconds later. I rolled my eye and grabbed my bow. The house wouldn't do for any form of defense. And I would be to visible on the roof. By best bet was the barn. I climbed the splintering wooden ladder to the loft and pushed the shutters open. Bright moonlight shone into my nook as I drew my bow. I peeked out the window to check on Cassie. She was still curled up on the couch. I silently cursed myself. I was falling for this girl. And there was no way I was letting her go.


End file.
